In mammals, the sperm determines the sex of the resulting offspring. Semen sexing is a process whereby sperm are sorted into Y- (male) or X-chromosome (female) bearing gametes. Sexed semen may be used for artificial insemination or in vitro embryo production to create offspring of a desired sex. In a zoo setting, fewer males are […]

Detailed assessments of water and nutrient dynamics in grasslands and its relationship to land management are scarce in the Canadian Prairies. The impact of climate change on these dynamics is even more uncertain. The purpose of this project is to address this knowledge gap by estimating the impact of climate change on water cycling, nutrient […]

Within the Canadian context, poultry farmers are constrained by regulations that predetermine chicken prices and market supply. As a result, they are limited in the approaches they can take to improve the profitability of their operations. Within this regulatory framework, farmers must rely on measures that can be applied on their farms to improve chicken’s […]

Dairy calves are generally fed whole milk or milk replacer during the first weeks of life. Compared with whole milk, milk replacer containing vegetable oils has a higher polyunsaturated fat content. More specifically, it is high in omega-6 and low in omega-3 fatty acids, making the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio ten times higher […]

Determining methods to improve nutrient utilization in pigs is critical to improving the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of pork production in Canada. The objective of this project is to examine the use of an alternative source of dietary nitrogen and its impact on amino acid requirements and utilization in growing pigs. In disseminating results […]

The development of an effective technology that permits the selection of sperm bearing either a X or Y chromosome without damaging fertilization capacity of the sperm and embryo development is of great interest in animal production because it will permit the farmers to chose the sex of offspring when breeding their animals. In order to […]

  Feather meal is an economical protein-rich feedstuffs produced from wastes generated by the poultry processing industry. The partner organization, a fish feed manufacturer based in Ontario, would greatly benefit from the accurate characterization of the nutritive value of feather meals for different fish species raised in Ontario. Inclusion of feather meal could significantly improve cost-effectiveness of fish feeds […]

  Supra – nutritional consumption of organic selenium (Se) reduces the incidence and progression of several types of cancer. The organic Se content of with cows’ milk can be increased by supplementing cow diets with organic Se. In vitro preliminary data suggest that Se supplementation of cows may improve the persistency of daily milk yield, […]

  The proposed research is directed at determining the effect of amino acid (AA) infusions on the milk synthetic regulatory proteins found in the mammary gland of the lactating dairy cow. Previous research in the area has shown that proteins called eukaryotic initiation factors (eIF), which synthesize proteins through mRNA translation, are a regulation point […]

  Traditional selection, based on phenotypes and pedigree, has gained success in genetic improvement of livestock. However, Genomic Selection (GS) is revolutionizing cattle breeding as genotyping cattle for 50,000 SNP is now feasible commercially. With GS, the values of markers discovered in a reference population are used as predictors in other populations, thus the persistence […]

Iron is required for the growth of all animal cells, being necessary for the proper function of diverse enzyme systems and the expression of certain genes, as well as for the production of oxygen radicals that function as signal transduction intermediates and help defend against microorganisms. Interestingly, preliminary findings indicate that both mouse and human […]

Since yeast probiotics and their cell wall components (CWC) are being used to treat enteric inflammatory diseases in different species including humans, they may be useful for preventing Johne’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium spp. paratuberculosis (MAP). Considerable variation in the efficacy of different yeast probiotics and their […]